Executive Summary
1. The UK Round Table on Sustainable Development has provided a forum for discussion on major issues of sustainable development. This report describes its work since March 1999.
2. The Round Table has taken a more interactive approach to its work this year. This is described in section 1, together with the implications of the Government's decision to subsume the Round Table into a new Sustainable Development Commission.
3. The bulk of the output from the Round Table's work has continued to be in the form of written reports. Six were published over the past 16 months. The summaries and recommendations are reproduced as section 2 of this report. They are:
- Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. The report affirms the key role that SMEs can play in promoting sustainable development. It identifies public education as the key way to influence those who work in SMEs. It recommends a number of other measures to encourage SMEs, including a tax incentive and procurement practices.
- Response to Consultation Document on the Sustainable Development Commission. The Round Table organised a seminar to discuss arrangements for the Sustainable Development Commission and submitted its own response.
- Planning for Sustainable Development in the 21st Century. This contribution to a study on planning, being undertaken by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, emphasises the value of the current planning process as a vehicle for delivering sustainable development and suggests ways in which its weaknesses could be addressed.
- Not Too Difficult! - Economic instruments to promote sustainable development within a modernised economy. This report argues that there is a strong case for further developing the use of economic instruments to deliver sustainable development. Concerns about social equity, international competitiveness and environmental efficiency can be addressed by careful design of the instrument.
- Indicators of sustainable development. This report praises the Government's report on indicators Quality of life counts but suggests ways in which it could be improved upon. It identifies the need for urgent action on climate change, road traffic and other topics.
- Delivering Sustainable Development in the English Regions. Based on a series of activities, this report advocates greater democratic accountability in the English regions as a prerequisite for sustainable development, commends the role of regional round tables of sustainable development and encourages the Regional Development Agencies to implement sustainable development fully in their action plans, programmes and projects.
4. The report concludes (Section 3 and Annex D) with a survey of all the reports published by the Round Table and the responses made. It offers some conclusions about the Round Table's own work and some points which might be of value to the Sustainable Development Commission.
Published 14 September 2000
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